A race bias has become quite apparent in our federal government’s drug prosecutions. The problem surrounds federal prosecutions of crack cocaine vs. prosecution for the powdered variety of the drug.

The Supreme Court is now looking into allegations that people are being discriminated against because of racial and economic factors when being prosecuted for using the two drugs.

The problem is this: Crack cocaine is used predominantly by African Americans in the inner cities. Powdered cocaine is much more widely used by whites in suburban areas.

Even though the drugs have an almost identical chemical make-up, federal policies place much harsher sentences on those caught using crack compared to those who use cocaine.

This fact alone seems to point to a clear example of institutional racism, but many critics have said that even though crack is considered an inner-city drug, two-thirds of its users are white.

But federal prosecutions do not back this claim up.

In 1991, for example, in all 24 crack prosecutions that were closed in federal court, every defendant was black.

The Supreme Court will hopefully consider some of these things when it checks out these allegations.

It seems quite clear that a new federal policy needs to be established.